


The Wheels of Being

by ArialaCoeur



Category: Original Work
Genre: Character Development, Character Study, F/M, Familial Relationships, Gen, May Stray Into Purple Prose, Original Character(s), Platonic Relationships, first original work
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-19
Updated: 2020-02-19
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:34:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22797118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArialaCoeur/pseuds/ArialaCoeur
Summary: An adventure exploring a fantasy land, wherein a bunch of individuals get (individually) lost in fantastical landscapes, and find a family in each other. (They also find a ton of gold, stumble across some court intrigue, and have to deal with an alien prince who refuses to just go home already despite his hatred of the local weather.)
Relationships: (Eventual) Original Female Character/Original Male Character





	The Wheels of Being

**Author's Note:**

> I have no idea what I am doing, but I want to try posting snippets and chapters of my personal fantasy story to give myself an incentive to work on it more often than once a month. I'm also hoping to improve my writing skills; I wasn't joking about my tendency towards purple prose. While feedback is welcome if you feel so inclined, please be gentle with me, and I may or may not take suggestions on board. Story and chapter title from 'In Memoriam', by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. This chapter is short, so I might post another one tomorrow.

Nell wandered through the building, confused, but with a skip in her step. She could smell something delicious, and wandered into the kitchen, where she found some fresh bread laid out.

“May as well help myself,” she thought, “As it doesn’t seem like anyone else is around.” 

She reached out, only to have her hand slapped away from the food instantly, as soon as it was within half an inch of the bread. 

“No.”

“No?” Nell drawled, swinging around to face whoever had slapped her, feeling more than a little fed up.

“No.” The tall, ghostly man in front of her repeated. She could see the kitchen utensils hanging on the wall behind him shining in the faint glow he gave off.

The girl frowned. “Why not?”

It wasn’t that she wanted to be rude or intrude, but she was hungry. And feeling creeped out by the lack of people outside of this ghost, as well as the strange map upstairs. 

He reached out and took her arm, turning around and pulling gently but firmly, so that she had no choice other than to quickly scuttle forward to follow along behind him. Her arm stung a little where he was touching her; it felt like when you get pins and needles in your legs, or when the cold numbs and bites if you go outside in winter without gloves. 

She didn’t mind too much; it might hurt a little, but the ghost had kind eyes.

Now, why wasn’t Nell freaking out at the sight of a ghost? Because he wasn’t the first she’d seen. It wasn’t as though Nell had walked through life, cursed to see ghosts and spirits like an anime protagonist or anything like that; but every so often, she’d turn a corner and see something whip out of sight; take a walk along a riverside path and hear laughter like bells drifting from trees that swayed out of time with the wind. Her reflection would wink at her from time to time, and if she jumped over something on a windy day, she’d be airborne for just a little too long for someone who wasn’t especially athletic, and hadn’t jumped that high to start.

So while an encounter with a ghost in a creepy, empty house wasn’t normal, it wasn’t too scary, either.


End file.
